Former Germany boss Joachim Low says he’s surprised Florian Wirtz looks set to join Liverpool as he expected the midfielder to follow Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid.
Liverpool have emerged as the overwhelming favourites to land Wirtz this summer, despite having an opening offer of around £109m rejected by Bayer Leverkusen.
Having seen off strong competition from Bayern Munich and Manchester City, the Premier League champions are confident they will get their man – and Leverkusen would rather a resolution is found for the 22-year-old sooner rather than later.
It’s understood Reds are prepared to increase their bid to as high as £126m to wrap up the signing and some reports claim Wirtz has already begun house-hunting in the north west of England.
Wirtz would become the second Leverkusen player to complete a switch to Anfield ahead of the forthcoming season following Jeremie Frimpong’s arrival on Merseyside last week.
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‘Liverpool is a real statement because moving to the Premier League also involves a lot of adaptation and that starts with the rhythm of the game,’ ex-Germany head coach Low told Bild when asked about Wirtz’s decision.
‘But Florian Wirtz has no upper limit, he’s definitely ready for the next step. We’ve had that feeling for a long time.’
Given the bond Wirtz shared with Alonso at Leverkusen, Low felt Real Madrid may have been a more logical next step for the Germany international.
‘I just thought he’d be more likely to choose Real Madrid if he went abroad,’ he added.
‘He has developed enormously under him [Alonso] and they have a great relationship of trust. That’s very important for a young player.
‘Nevertheless, I have no concerns that Wirtz will prevail – no matter where he would have gone. He plays with a naturalness that can’t be coached. He possesses all the skills a footballer needs to be a world-class player.’
Bayern had initially been in pole position to seal a deal and spoke with Wirtz on the day the club celebrated their Bundesliga triumph in Munich.
But the German champions appear to have conceded defeat to Liverpool in this summer’s fiercely contested transfer race.
‘It would have been a good fit had he joined Bayern Munich as well,’ Low continued.
I don’t know what Vincent Kompany was thinking about the two of them [Wirtz and Jamal Musiala].
‘But the fact is: Last year, things worked out brilliantly with Wirtz and Musiala in the national team.
‘With their style of play and finesse, they took the team to the next level, so that Germany can once again compete for titles.
Wirtz was first called to the German national team when he was only 17 years old and Low – the man in charge at the time – always suspected the youngster was destined for big things.
‘He was already very technically gifted and had outstanding orientation on the pitch,’ he explained.
‘Added to that is his incredible willingness to play without the ball… he runs into deep spaces a lot.
‘This, in addition to his other footballing skills, makes him so strong and unpredictable.’
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